Opinion
By Steve Osuji
LEADERSHIP at the highest executive level of presidency of a country is tough no doubt. It requires a fine mix of wits, vision, mental and physical capacities and more, to begin to understand it. From accounts of great leaders, the first few days are usual tricky.
Immediately after inauguration, even the best of leaders are often in a quandary as to how to tackle the behemoth. Without a clear starting point, one could become like fish in water where everything one sees is water.
It is for this reason that smart leaders often line up some small opportunities called low hanging fruits to kick off with. Below are ten possible ones President Tinubu could have taken advantage of but may have missed them all.
MUM ON ASSETS DECLARATION: Did anyone notice that President Bola Tinubu has kept mum on the scourge that is corruption in Nigeria? Is it possible that the great leviathan that coolly straddles the shoulder of Nigeria may have vamoosed with the Muhammadu Buhari administration? Not likely. This column wagers that the monster still lurks in the labyrinths of our public life in a more coded and sublime context. We affirm that under President Tinubu, official graft and executive swift fingers would operate in a more concealed and methodical manner but far more larger in scale and certainly more inimical to the health of the nation.
At the inception of office, Buhari made a show of declaring assets in publicly, prompting Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to take a cue. Many governors and appointees were also moved by the president’s personal example. Of course, anti-corruption crusade was high on Buhari’s agenda. Though it turned out a ruse while Buhari’s corruption fight was to become a story in grand deception, at least attention was given to the malaise in the beginning.
But with President Tinubu, mum is the word on what is without doubt, Nigeria’s most pernicious developmental challenge. While it is common knowledge that Tinubu is not a model of incorruptibility, corruption is arguably Nigeria’s number one vice. A small example will suffice. During the recently concluded Women’s World Cup, the world was regaled with the odious story about how FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, visited the dressing room of Nigeria’s team, the Super Falcons and made it known to them that he had tweaked FIFA’s payments rule slightly because of Nigeria. He told the ladies that FIFA would henceforth remunerate players directly because they had heard the incessant cries of the Super Falcons. Huge sums FIFA allocates to players in every tournament never gets to our ladies.
If you expected that this indictment and tarring of Nigeria’s collective image would draw the ire of our new president and make him order an immediate inquiry, bury the thought. We have lost our sense of pride and collective national dignity. This has been Nigeria’s story from as long as we have known; the delegation to the above mentioned tournament had about 80 per cent government officials who corner 90 per cent of the approved fund. This column urges President Tinubu to probe the deployment of the finances approved for the last WWC. The result would shock him.
Let it be known to President Tinubu that he’s not only leading a corrupt pack, he has managed to assemble some of the most corrupt elements in our midst into his new cabinet. He knows it and he knows Nigerians know but he doesn’t give a damn. Without giving priority to fighting and indeed, stamping out corruption from our institutions, he can only pretend at running a country. Tinubu would have won by starting his anti-corruption battle with sincerity and renewed vigour. He ought to have declared his assets.
BANDITS RULE OVER A QUARTER OF NIGERIA: The second easy win that Tinubu missed is to have initialed a fresh perspective to war against insecurity in Nigeria. Since 2009, the terror group, Boko Haram has put the Nigerian military on the back foot, seizing the northeast axis of the country. In 2015, the murderous bandits of the northwest were ushered in by the APC government. Nigerians would swear they are APC foot soldiers. They have the zone in thrall since, massacring hundreds of thousands of fellow citizens. If Tinubu had any blueprint to tackle this evil, it hasn’t manifested as killings have continued without let since May 29th. Would the recent vanquishing of our officers and soldiers and the bringing down of their rescue helicopter jolt the president into action. Again, President Tinubu missed the opportunity to stamp his authority on a scruffy army.
OIL THIEVES GAINED MORE IMPETUS: If it is difficult to curb the activities of bandits and terrorists, how about the oil thieves in the creeks of the Niger Delta? When President Tinubu yanked off a so-called subsidy on petrol price on the first day in office, you would expect a riot act would be issued on the rogues pilfering Nigeria’s most strategic economic asset. Nothing of such happened. In fact bizarre reports of brigandage now emanate from what is designated as Nigeria’s most strategic national asset and the tempo of stealing has increased. About N250 billion was lost to oil thieves in July alone. Is it not common knowledge that the thieves are within the NNPC and the Joint Military Task force? A strong worded presidential directive and a big scapegoat or two are all that is needed to bring some sanity to the situation. But leadership is far more than wearing fancy appellations. Today, the president has acquired yet another title of Petroleum Minister just like Buhari did. But it turned out to be eight wasted years of the oil sector with Buhari.
NOW THEY SAY REFINERIES DON’T MATTER: It’s a no-brainer that refining Nigeria’s crude oil for local consumption and export is a major antidote to high pump prices. If only for the preservation of our foreign exchange; for the jobs to be created and the slew of products in the crude oil value chain. But the preponderance of argument emanating from government stooges suggests that refineries working at full capacity cannot impact on PMS pump price.
Could this be the reason the president never spoke to the question of refineries? If the president had paid a surprise visit to NNPC’s interminable refineries revamp site, perhaps one or two would have been ready now or near ready.
PALLIATIVE MANAGEMENT DEBACLE: It’s bad enough that President Tinubu didn’t think through the so-called subsidy issue. But not being able to rally a team to wring out some sensible palliative packages for the people since May 29tjh is a shame. A spirited response in this regard would have given the president much plaudits. Nothing concrete has happened till this moment but for the recent plan to dole out N5 billion to the governors to apply to their states. However, recent history teaches us that our governors cannot be trusted with money. The last time they got about N15 billion for salaries and pensions arrears, it never got to the workers. So this is palliative to governors not the people. The president must try something else, meanwhile the momentum is lost.
COST OF GOVERNANCE IS COST OF GOVERNANCE: They told us the economy would grind to a halt and collapse if they don’t remove the phantom subsidy immediately. President Tinubu proclaimed it and it was done. Today, hunger and misery travails the people exceedingly. But our leaders still live large at the expense of the state. Their perks and privileges remain intact while some of them carry on like Arab princes. What’s the president’s vision about prudence? Not certain. No show of personal example. No mandate to cabinet on new ways of operating. And indeed, the Executive Council has been fattened to an unprecedented 48 member as if all was well with the economy. The FEC is made up largely of kleptocrats who have long fed on our patrimony they have no reason to work anymore.
The Steve Oronsaye report on streamlining of MDAs should have been an early big win for President Tinubu. But here we are, Tinubu has bloated the ministries by ten more costing additional billions of naira to maintain.
AGRIC AS LOW HANGING CHERRY: The poultry industry is in distress currently. It’s always like this every year this season. It’s the time of the year that maize for poultry feed is scarce and we either augment with imported maize or face a stunted poultry industry.
A well directed mandate by the President to the Agric Ministry would ensure a boom in maize production and its value chain. A couple of other quick turnaround crops could be added. It’s a simple win but you have to have the vision and the drive first.
RECONCILIATION AS A WINNING STRATEGY: One of the sad legacies of former President Muhammadu Buhari was driving a wedge in the things that held us together. He openly side-lined other ethnic groups while lifting his Hausa-Fulani people. Buhari particularly projected open hate to the Igbo in Nigeria in words and deed.
Now President Tinubu has a cheap point to score by deliberately working to reunite Nigerians and pursue those things that engender harmony and goodwill to all. But Tinubu has started on the same perverse path Buhari treaded. In the primitive manner of Buhari, he has not only skewed all the first grade MDAs to his Yoruba ethnic group, he has openly trampled on Ndigbo by throwing trash appointments at them. Even in statutory ministerial appointments, he wouldn’t give Ndigbo their fair share as stipulated by the constitution. Tinubu has no qualms violating the constitution just to spite Igbo. Giving Southeast five out of 48 federal slots is a shame indeed. He promised to be fair to all but he has consistently shown that what he says and what he does are always in conflict. He’s the one who has lost something, not Ndigbo. He’s the one who has missed a great opportunity at statesmanship.
THE GREAT EDUCATION REFORM: From the foregoing, it has become apparent that Tinubu is not the president to initiate the great education reform. No matter what any president does, not much would be achieved at this level of our development without a radical reform of our educational system.
CABINET, WHAT CABINET: A president or governor’s cabinet is often a signpost of the nature and character of an administration. Judging by the quality of people in the Tinubu cabinet, we are in for a miserable era. Apart from a few points of light, this column sees a blanket of darkness. We see people who are the metaphor for corruption and ineptitude in Nigeria; we see jaded and recycled jangos who have nothing to offer and nothing to prove.
They failed serially in their previous incarnations as public servants. Many of them have been in government since 1999 and they have become monstrously wealthy helping themselves to our treasury. Once again, the president missed a chance to enjoy early plaudits. I haven’t seen anyone hailing his choice of cabinet.
In summary, President Tinubu has missed all opportunities to start great. He has failed to see even simple opportunities hanging low like ripe juicy fruits before him.
A.
-Aug. 24 2023 @ 07:20 GMT |
Tags: Steve Osuji
